November 2001
Following an accident in a local village when a youth crossed in front of a car on a skate board, locals who did not see the accident called for an immediate lowering of the speed limit.
As a local councillor (small council) I attended a site meeting to discuss ways of improving road safety. Oddly, I was the only one who said the youth should not have crossed a main road on a skateboard and to blame the driver was simply ridiculous. The usual cry went up, "If he had been going more slowly, he could have stopped"
Without actually seeing the accident, they could not know that. Perhaps the idiot gave the driver no chance. Bridget Driscoll was the first pedestrian to walk in front of a car and be killed. This happened on August 17th 1896 and the car was travelling at 4 mph.
However the point of this post is that when the County Highways engineer said the limit could not be lowered as it was a 40 mph road - with which I agreed, having seen the criteria - he suggested that he could provide red tarmac
(UGH) along the centre line to narrow the lanes and perhaps slow drivers.
(politics, not safety)
When I suggested that this would push cars nearer to pedestrians he replied, "Yes, it frightens them"
Jeepers!!!!!!
Needless to say, when this came up at last nights meeting, it was thrown out. Read more
I posted a thread a while back about checking my anti-freeze, and after having to sort out a puncture today at tyre centre, they checked the water with that syringe thing I was advised on.
I'm fine for -50 or something ridiculous, but the water was a decidedly murky brown colour....I think that's probably not too healthy.
Should I do something about it? - it's a 1.6 Xantia, doom blue, but much loved.
Thanks,
Lee. Read more
Sorry afm I know nobody loves a smart alec but I have engaged pedant mode.
A hygrometer is what is used to check for moisture content in the atmosphere.
The device for checking the relative density of a fluid is a hydrometer, used for such tasks as antifreeze content, battery acid strength and in beer brewing.
pedantmode/off
I read somewhere on the What Car? web site about about manufacturers giving models a 24 month unlimited mileage warranty - something about a new European standard/directive....
Anybody know anything about this? When does it take effect?
If I've read it properly it seems to make buying abroad even more sensible - i.e. no matter what you buy you get 24 months unlimited mileage - better than most of the pretend 3 year warranties currently on offer in the UK - actually 12 months unlimited mileage warranty + 2 years vastly reduced MBI cover...
HJ? Read more
Every thing you buy in Europe now has to have a two year unconditional warranty whether its a car or a teapot and that came into force last august
Why is it that there is so much emphasis put on drivers to keep a good tread on their tyres when local autorities are allowed to let roads get in a bald condition with nothing said to them. A worn tyre on a good rough road surface will pull up just as fast as a good tyre on a very worn shiny wet road surface. While I do not advocate that drivers should travel on bald tyres there should be some sort of law for local authoroties to comply with by having skid tests on their worn road surfaces as well, and if they are below a set level they should be fined and made put right the surface to a proper safe condition. They put up "slippery road" signs every few miles to cover themselves, can you imagine a car driver travelling around with a sign on four sides of his car saying bald tyres? Read more
Sorry if your unintentional humour made me laugh. I must say though that in the real world, many roads aren't perfect. Most of us make allowances for varying conditions, and I, for one, appreciate any warning of a slippery road surface.
Tonight I followed a high box-type lorry along a main road, around the rear outline was what appeared to be day-glo orange tape stuck round the edge so that it was illuminated in my dipped headlight as a big orange square. To be honest the driver could have switched his lights off and he would have been just as visible. What a wonderful idea this was to be seen. As cyclists seem to have a hundred and one ways why they cannot have and use lights on their bikes I thought that the compusory wearing of day-glo plastic vests was a good alternative, it's cheap, maintenance free, easily portable, secure from thieves, costs nothing other than the initial outlay, easily carried, when not dark, therefore no excuse for not having and wearing one. The man (or woman) in black on an unlit, or poorly lit road will be no more, and maybe a few lives would be saved at a very small cost. Read more
Yes Tomo, worst case of bt I can recall was on the back of a nag. Not funny.
Where can I get some dark blue (Mondeo) and some light grey (Peugeot) mushroom-type push in plugs to conceal the holes in the dash, drilled by numbties mounting their mobile phones? I have seen them in Halfords in other colours than black; unfortunately Halfords stock control on these useful odd packs leaves alot to be desired (certainly applies in Aberdeen!).
Any other suppliers? Read more
Why not have one of the SMART repairers do it professionally instead? About £25 for mobile phone holder holes and you will never know they were there.
Just read an article in this month's Classic Cars magazine about a new EU directive (coming into force 1 January 2002, the same day as the one I wrote about a couple of weeks ago). According to Classic Cars, scrapyards will be replaced by Approved Treatment Centres, where cars will be 'environmentally cleansed' before being crushed. According to a Department of Transport spokesman, 'Vehicle dismantlers will be replaced by holding yards, where cars to be scrapped are taken before being moved to ATCs. There will be no provision at these yards to dismantle vehicles.' And the cost of scrapping a car is likely to increase from £50 to £200 plus.
Surely that can't be right? I haven't seen any evidence of any of my local breakers preparing to shut up shop, and what about all those breakers offering mail-order spares in the back of the Auto Trader? If the report is right, a lot of businesses are going to have to close down at the end of next month, and there will be no way to buy used spares. Plus even more cars dumped by the side of the road. Anyone know any more? Read more
Wanna make something of it?
There is a problem with the Lexus that needs to be addressed, i.e. how do you refer to a plurality of them? Do you just add an 's' as in Astras, Peugeots, etc? (A fleet of Lexuss) Refer to them as 'Lexi' (as in hippopotami) or 'Lexuses' as in buses. Or just 'Lexus', as in Walrus.
Can anybody think of any other car with a name ending in 'us'?
I really should get out more!
P. Read more
A niblick of Golf drivers
A mint of Polo drivers
A hair salon of XR3i cabriolet drivers
A tracey of Sharan drivers (as in Birds ov a Fevver) oh all right I give up!
I have for the last five years used a polish called Mer on my cars every two to the three months, but having recently noticed that it is slightly abrasive is this doing my paintwork more harm than good? I have a 91J metallic red Escort which has brilliant paintwork, (owned by me since new) but I am wondering if there is much of this paintword left as I have been using Mer on it. Also should I take different precautions when polishing metallic or none metallic cars?
Thanks in advance for replies.
Ian Read more
I use Mer too, good stuff.
If you dont want an abrasive polish though, you need a proper wax.
check out www.zymol.co.uk - I was gonna by some of this as my mate heavily recommends it, but its a tad pricey (see online shop section)
Earlier readers will have heard my query re the fluctuating coolant in the expansion bottle of my 1990 Citroen BX TGD. Well the head appears cracked and repair seems the order of the day! But the best way forward without buying a new engine???
The current head has been skimmed 3 times hence may not take any more. In the garage yard where I have taken the car is an F Reg 19RD with 200,000 on the clock which is being dismantled. The garage is sending my head for testing - not sure whether leak down or pressure but if it is not reusable this other head may be fitted after skimming and testing: (the garage assure me the engine on the F reg is newer than the car - incidentally its gasket has 2 notches only - does this mean it has never been skimmed?) Alternatively, another garage suggests boring out the chambers so the existing head can be reused - better the head you know than a second hand replacement they say. A further source tells me that 5 notch repair gaskets can now be used - 2 above the standard maximum. In all these options what is the best way forward? I don't want to buy a new head - @£425 - but which would be guaranteed as opposed to no guarantee on a second hand head. Further, - is it true that alloy heads over 10 years suffer from metal fatigue?
And no, I am not prepared to scrap the car - motor car masochism is fun! Read more
Eh? Bi-annual Inhibitors? Should I be adding these to my 1.9D, if so what are they please?
Browse
Quote ".. .. ..trouble is, there are a few drivers who go as fast as possible without actually leaving the road, especially if they think no-one is looking. "
-Andrew.
So what use would speed limits have? Regardless of whether they read 70mph or 10mph...
dan